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Alabama native Laverne Cox talks about life as transgender actress, advocate on 'Overshare' series (video)

Cox.jpg

Mobile native Laverne Cox has been building a career in TV and film for more than a decade. Her role in "Orange Is the New Black," a popular series on Netflix, offers the most significant opportunity to date. (Netflix photo)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- "When people ask me who I am, I say that I'm an actress. But I'm also a transgender woman of color. I was raised by a single mother. I'm from Mobile, Alabama. Although Wikipedia says that I'm an activist, I prefer the word transgender advocate."

That's Laverne Cox, talking about her life on "Overshare," a video series on the YouTube channel "Lives With Meredith Vieira." Vieira, a TV personality and talk-show host, started the channel in September. Her goal: to provide a forum for women to communicate, share information and tell their stories.

On "Orange Is the New Black," she plays Sophia, a transgender woman and former firefighter who's been imprisoned for credit-card fraud. With this role, Cox -- a former student at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham -- is breaking down barriers in the entertainment industry. She's also blazing a trail for other transgender actors to follow.